Previous efforts directed toward producing electric deterrent devices focus on disposing parallel conductors on an elongated non-conducting material. The conductors can be coupled to an electrical power supply to charge the conductors. When an undesirable pest comes into contact with the conductors, the pest forms a short circuit between the conductors and thereby receives an electrical shock. An ideal deterrent device would include one or more conductors that have high flexibility and have a textured surface area to provide multiple points of contact against a pest.
One example of a deterrent device includes the insect guard described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,984 to Saunders et al. titled “Insect Guard System and Method of Use”. Saunders discloses an insect guard comprising two conducting strips that can be deposited or sewn on an elongated insulating material where each conducting strip is a single sheet. However, the conducting strips could break under repeated flexing or corrode easily reducing their efficiency.
Another example of a deterrent device includes those described in international application WO 95/08915 to Greenwood titled “Deterrent Arrangement”. Greenwood contemplates that conductors can include wires or a plurality of entwined strands that can be molded into or glued to the device's base material. The use of entwined strands has greater flexibility than conducting strips. However, when strands are molded into or glued to the base material, a substantial portion of their flexibility is lost.
Yet another example of a deterrent device includes the electrical deterrent device disclosed in U.S. patent application publication 2005/0132635 to Riddell titled “Electric Deterrent Device”. Riddell discloses that conductors can include braided elements of three or more interwoven strands similar to the entwined strands of Greenwood. Riddell further contemplates that the conducting braided elements can be sewn to the deterrent device's base material as suggested by Saunders. The Riddell deterrent device is thought to have high flexibility. However, the contemplated braided conductors are flat and lack a sufficient texture to provide many points of contact against a pest.
Interestingly, known solutions merely form conductors out of a flat conducting sheet or multiple strands woven or braided. It has yet to be appreciated that the conductors of a deterrent device can comprise single strands knitted with themselves or with each other to form a textured surface. For example, a conductor can comprise a single wire strand that is knitted in a long strip. Such a knitted strip provides desirable flexibility by being able to flex in multiple dimensions and provides a textured surface due to interlocking loops of the knitting stitches. Textured surfaces are considered advantageous because such surface provide many protruding potential electrical contact points or a better surface by which a pest would likely grip the deterrent device.
Therefore, there remains a considerable need for methods, systems, and configurations to provide electrical deterrent devices having flexible and/or textured conductors.